September 7, 2017

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Most people know that some colours are a good deal easier to clean than others, and that’s not just true for clothes and carpeting. Different car colours behave differently when they are being cleaned.

With some colours looking great with little effort, and others taking a bit more elbow grease to clear of visible dust, scratches, and grime, it’s important for new auto detailing professionals to realize that they’re in for different amounts of work for cars of different colours.

Curious about which car colours are easiest and hardest to clean? Here’s a quick primer to get you up to speed.

Expensive Colours Are Often the Trickiest to Clean During Professional Automotive Detailing

Yes, there are specific hues that are more difficult to clean than others, but price is also an important factor in which paints are the trickiest for auto detailing pros to clean. Colours costing in the thousands of dollars for a coat, or that use a matte or other high-maintenance or expensive finish, are typically more difficult to clean. Small imperfections like tiny scratches or specs of dust will often be more visible on these colours. Even for professionals with extensive auto detailing training, working on cars with this kind of colouring can be an exercise in patience.

Light Colours Are the Easiest for Pros with Auto Detailing Training to Clean Up Nicely

It doesn’t take long for most cars to start picking up that thin layer of greyish-white dust that is the hallmark of a vehicle in need of a wash. For cars with lighter paint colouring, though—think white, silver, grey, or other light and unassuming colours—this dust won’t be too noticeable for a while.

Not only does this make it easier for drivers to get around without needing to worry that their car is looking dingy, but it also simplifies life when it comes time to do detailing work on those same cars. You can expect to have an easier time clearing up streaks, and have fewer instances of lingering dust specs, when giving this sort of car a professional automotive detailing job.

Light colours tend to do a better job of staying clean than darker colours

There’s something about a jet black or crimson car—or one that uses both together—that just looks cool. That coolness, however, comes at a bit of a cost to ongoing cleanliness. As good as lighter colours are at hiding their dirtiness, black, as well as red and some other vibrant colours, tend to make it very obvious when scratches, dirt, or dust are present on the car’s body. This can even be true just a few days after a car has had detailing and cleaning done.

Don’t expect a dark car to stay clean for too long after you’ve detailed it

Unfortunately, there’s no great fix to this issue, though some drivers who really love their cars elect to get frequent cleanings to keep this kind of paint spotless. As a future auto detailing professional, you’ll need to do as good of a job as you can when detailing this kind of paint. However, it’s important to understand that your efforts could quickly be hidden by a few days’ worth of dust.

Are you interested in making cars of all kinds look as good as they can?